June, 2008: Played in the Challenge Sports Lakeland 3v3 and won the men's open competitive division with a 5-0 record. We defeated The Misfits, including former KCS player and current boys soccer coach John (forgot how to spell his last name) in the finals. This qualifies us for the national 3v3 finals at Disney's Wide World of Sports in August.

Team Photo (L to R): Shane Provost (Wharton), Matt Pelillo (Brandon), Mike Danielson (California), Adam Francis (Bloomingdale), Justin Dethier (Bloomingdale), and Jeremy Rasmussen (Keswick Christian).

December, 2007: Played in alumni soccer game at Keswick. Good to see all of the old guys:

October, 2007:

In August, I went on a Men's Open Tour to Peru with former Keswick Coach Paul Shedd and Keswick players Phil Caldwell, Rob England, and Rob Verigan, along with Keswick six-a-side alum/Rowdies player Jeff Jones. See Flickr for photos!

Some 15 players from the different teams that we played accepted Jesus, not to mention many of the children with whom we did training, and even our bus driver! Beyond that, we were able to model sports ministry for the local believers and show them how they could use it to bring more people to know Christ.

On one particular trip between the city of Pucallpa and a Shipibo Indian village called Shambo, I counted no fewer than 12 soccer fields along the way. Those represented to me 12 little mission fields. Everywhere we went, soccer was un puente (a bridge) in communication with others. Even if you couldn’t speak much Spanish, you could kick around a ball with someone; then suddenly, you had something in common. I had the opportunity to share the gospel with several people in my best Spanglish.

God brought together a diverse team of 18 players from three different countries (USA, Peru, and Colombia) and ranging in age from 16-42 and bonded us together in a very short time.

One of the key players for whom I developed great admiration and affection was our captain, Hugo Galeano. Hugo played on the Colombian national team with Valderrama ("El Pibe"), and his excellent skills still show through, even though his professional playing days are over. After each game, Hugo would have us pray with the other team, and he would share his testimony (in Spanish). Even though I only picked up about half of what he was saying, I could see by the rapt attention of the other players that they were all listening. Everyone had great respect for him, and many seeds were planted. Hugo also had a great sense of humor and kept us in stitches the whole time.

We partnered with sports ministers (four Peruvians—Robert, Gerson, and Alex Escobar, and former national team player Leo Uejara—who played with us). These men will carry the torch of ministry after our tour. Robert (Bible Institute Director) and Tom Hough (missionary) are already thinking of putting together a team of CCB (Bible Institute) graduates and having the team go up and down the Ucayali River doing sports ministry like we did in Santa Rosita and Shambo.

Here are some other blessings God accomplished due to your prayers and support:

• God provided excellent leadership with Coach Paul Shedd, and our host, South American Missions (SAM) missionary Tom Hough, along with Judson Bouchard and Aaron Kramer of the Missionary Athletes International’s Southern California Seahorses. All of these men are very passionate about their faith and set an excellent example for the rest of the group.
• Even though there was some sickness, God provided healing for after we laid hands on guys and prayed for them.
• We had the opportunity to model Christ's love through sports ministry with many children, who are often neglected in the Peruvian culture.
• As the tour progressed, all of the players bonded in love more and more, and the Holy Spirit moved more powerfully. There were very memorable times of worship and fellowship together.
• As many players shared on the last night of the trip, they wanted the changes they made on the trip (daily worship, bold witnessing, caring for others, being more Christ-like on and off the field) to continue after they got back home.

Please continue to pray for those that accepted Christ, as well as for God to continue working in the tour ministers’ lives. Also, pray for the many Peruvians that lost loved ones and homes in the devastating earthquake. (We felt it in Santa Rosita for about two minutes, but the devastation occurred far to the south of us, in Pisco.)

My prayers were answered personally in that my knees felt great, I was able to contribute as a player, I scored a couple of goals, and I was always a crowd favorite because I am about a foot taller than anyone else on those Shipibo teams! They called me "El Gigante". Also, I was one of the few who did not get sick whatsoever. Many people had nausea/diarrhea the whole time. I loved all the fresh fruits and vegetables, and felt great the entire trip. I also lost about five more pounds. Praise God!!

I should also mention that we played pretty good soccer. We won the tournament in Puerto Supe (1-0 in OT), and came in third of eight teams in the Indian tournament. Our record for the tour, including a 2-0 loss against a semi-pro team in Pucallpa, was 7 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie.